Are you a complete novice to home education? Have you given it a go but still struggle with planning your curriculum? Stuck at a particularly difficult school year and don’t know where to start? Congratulations, you’ve come to the right place. The aim of this article is to help you identify the key to successful curriculum planning and how to declutter the wealth of information available online to get to the essentials. The first thing you need to review before you start homeschooling is the government issued guidelines and requirements in whichever country you reside. Both the United Kingdom , and the United States have governing bodies that regulate and monitor homeschooling. Make sure you understand the guidelines provided before you formulate a homeschooling curriculum. Selecting Subjects & Outlining Goals The primary advantage about home education is that you can mould the curriculum and personalise it to appeal to your child. It may seem daunting but, take a step back from the sheer amount of lessons that need to be taught and simply select the basic subjects. Once you’ve decided on those, it will be much easier to sort out lessons in each. Also, be aware of the grade level your child is in and what, if any, requirements they need to fill. Define Your Approach Just because the curriculum is the same for everyone, doesn't mean your homeschooling style needs to be too. The outlined lessons can be taught with a unique approach that works best for your child. There are three main learning styles you can try and see which one works best: Visual - Observation and visual aids help the child understand concepts better. When they have a picture or video in their head, it’s easier for them to retain information. Auditory - More focused on hearing and listening, this learning style provides auditory tools for information retention. Kinesthetic - Also known as tactile learning, it involves physical play and learning through the sense of touch. Once you know which style or combination of styles your child responds to best, you can find visual or auditory tools and resources to help with lessons. It is also possible that your child might prefer different styles for different subjects. English might require auditory learning, while science might require visual and kinesthetic. Keep these things in mind when drafting a curriculum. You might also be interested in a particular school of thought when it comes to home education. There are plenty of resources available online and also fully drafted curriculums to choose from. Some of these styles are: Traditional Roadschooling Worldschooling Unschooling Eclectic Homeschooling Montessori Homeschooling Homeschooling with Unit Studies Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Waldorf Homeschooling Review Curriculum Options This is by far the most overwhelming aspect of preparing a curriculum and is the point where most people give up. Oftentimes, a simple Google search will turn up so many options that we end up more confused than informed. Follow the guidelines mentioned on how you can make this process easier for yourself. Take Your Time Even though this sounds basic, it cannot be stressed enough. Setting everything up may seem like a daunting task, but it does not mean you have to rush into anything, or master the process at the get-go. First, schedule some time to get started. Next, arm yourself with a simple notebook and pen, and instead of multitasking, use that time to only brainstorm and plan. Take your time with deciding, keeping planning and implementation in mind. This will lead to less hassles, and save a lot of back and forth when you actually have to homeschool. Write it all down, so you have notes to refer to later, bookmark helpful online resources in a separate folder, and build from there. Curriculum Criteria Make note of what you want from the curriculum. This will help you eliminate the unnecessary subjects and lesson plans from what you need. Some of the basic criteria people use when opting for home education are: Checking whether the lessons are faith-based (for the religiously, or not-so religiously inclined) The amount of flexibility and/or rigidness in a daily plan The curriculum level being advanced enough, or basic enough to suit your child Region-specific (particularly for Canada and the USA) Bookmark Potential Curriculum As we mentioned before - take your time. During your research, if you come across a curriculum you like, bookmark it and move on. You can always come back and take a look at it again and see how it compares to others, and which bits you’d like to incorporate into your home education curriculum. Check Online Reviews Many homeschoolers have fantastic blogs online where they discuss the tips and tricks that worked best for them. They also discuss the curriculum and review it. If you oscillate between teaching methods and curriculum you can always read real reviews and experiences to help make an informed decision. Breakdown Into Planners Now that you’ve selected your curriculum or made a personalised hybrid that works best for your child, you need to decide how to implement it. Some homeschoolers prefer following a traditional school year with appropriate vacation days, while others prefer parcelling lessons throughout the whole year. Then, you need to decide how long your school week will be. Perhaps you prefer a four-day school week, or you may opt for more or less working days. Certain groups prefer to have one or two days in the week where lessons are reinforced through field exploration and outings. Once you decide on what the school year will look like, you can start spreading the work throughout this timeline. Investing in a good planner also helps. A visual planner in the kitchen can have the basic information to help you visualise your week. For a more detailed planner turn to the internet. There are many online options where you can note down lessons to be conducted, and attach links to documents and resources to be used, as well as activities that will go with the lesson. Prep Beforehand This step is very important, and is where you could reach the most success in homeschooling if done right. You can plan all you want to, but if you aren’t prepared for lessons beforehand, the entire plan can and will be derailed. To keep on top of things, follow these necessary tips: Print And Prepare All the resources, worksheets, planning details, and everything you need should be printed and sorted beforehand so you won't be empty-handed at the time of the lesson. Always Have Supplies On Hand Similarly, buy and store away all of your school supplies from pencils, erasers, glue, and scissors in proper places with easy access. Any experiments you’d like to conduct should also be prepared for beforehand. Have A Proper System All of your resources should ideally be colour coordinated and labelled, and stored in a system your children will also understand. Having said that, there is no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money on fancy supplies and trendy organisation products. Neither do you need to spend hours stressing over your set-up - a simple one where everything is assigned a home will do. Organising your space does not need to instantly look Pinterest-perfect (no matter how wonderful and effortless those artisan Mums on there make it look.) If you would like to apply your own creativity to the process, then give it a go. But, if you are like most parents who just need to get things in order, then start small and simple, and build from there. Before you know it, your home school structure will be crisp, well-organised, and most of all, functional. Think About Demarcating A Proper School Space Many families prefer to have a dedicated space in which to learn, as it can help children to be in a proper mindset when they sit for lessons. It is always worthwhile trying this out to see if it works for your family. Final Thoughts Planning a Home Education Curriculum may seem daunting at first, but if you follow the above mentioned steps and set yourself mini targets and goals, there is absolutely no reason that you cannot plan one out. Contact us for any help you may require, and we will be delighted to assist you in any way possible. Good luck with your homeschooling and remember to try and enjoy the process. After all, this is all about you and your family!

Children are little balls of energy and it is our job as parents and guardians to channel that energy into productive steps towards independence. One of the tools that help children navigate the world around them is the ability to read. Even academically, the ability to read and comprehend succinctly is the foundation on which all learning is built. It is an essential skill and the sooner your child is introduced to it, the better. Unfortunately, most of us don’t remember our lessons from primary school so, how do we help our children learn how to read? The answer can be found in phonics. Parents and teachers all over the world use this technique to teach reading as it is the simplest, yet most effective method. The thought of teaching your child through phonics might be daunting, but over my years of experience I have picked up tips and tricks that I will share with you to make the whole process as easy as pie. What are phonics and why is it important? Words come in all shapes and sizes, and some can be intimidating. For a child, they are like ink-soldiers marching on the page, impossible to decipher. Phonics allows them to concentrate on the sound each letter makes instead. Breaking the word down into smaller sounds helps children tackle each sound and mold it together, rather than being intimidated by the word as a whole. Think of teaching reading with phonics, like making your child a snack. Handing a whole apple to your child might seem simple but the chances of them finishing the whole thing are unlikely. Cutting it up into smaller pieces makes it easier for them to eat and finish the whole thing. Phonics is similar. Phonics is important because they teach the child how to deal with more than reading. They can tackle a big problem by stripping it down to its basics and then deciphering each portion till they understand the whole and can blend them together. How are phonics taught in school and how can you help at home? The first step students learn is to recognize the sounds each alphabet makes. They are taught that ‘a’ makes the ‘aahh’ sounds, and that ‘m’ makes the ‘mmm’ sound. The alphabets are often written down to reinforce their sounds. After the basics are ingrained, students are taught how to blend the sounds together. Short words such as cat are broken down into ‘c-a-t.’ The first step is to sound out the individual letters, and then the phonics are blended together to sound out the word. More and more words are added to the students' vocabulary this way. There are many ways you can support your child. By reinforcing the words that your child is currently learning, you can add to their vocabulary by helping them read more words with phonics. They don’t have to be specially curated. You can read off labels, milk cartons, and even help them decipher the spellings of pots and pans. The key is to make it as fun and engaging as possible. Fun tips to engage your child. The best way to reinforce phonics is to hide the activity within games. Here are some suggestions: Use their favourite hobbies and toys Children form intense attachments to toys, hobbies, and even tv shows. Pick up on their latest obsession and try to work phonics reading around it. If they are obsessed with a cartoon character or fairytale, try to sing along with the catchy songs and sound out the phonics to a lead character’s name, or title of a film. Read the signs A great road trip game is reading number plates. But what if you flipped it around and tried reading the passing sign boards and shop names with your child? They don’t have to be elaborate and it will help them recognize symbols for different kinds of shops as well. YouTube searches Has this ever happened to you? Your toddler will come to you and insist you search up a particular video for them to watch. Turn this into a teaching moment. Sound out the phonics for the channel name and insist they find the associating alphabet on the keyboard to type on their own. Eye Spy Another classic that can be a great way to teach phonics is eye spy. Instead of saying you spy something starting with ‘t,’ say you spy something starting with ‘ttt.’ It will reinforce the phonic sound and help them recognize objects around the house that start with that particular alphabet. Sight words Visual recognition of words is key to helping your child read faster. Try and read to your children every night. Make it a habit and start as early in their lives as possible. Help point out words from the text that they might have reviewed during their phonics learning. The more visual recognition they have of the words the easier it will be to recognize and read them quickly the next time they come across it. This transition from phonics to reading the whole word comes a little later but it is essential that it is done consciously throughout the week. What to do if your child is still struggling to read? While you scramble over every article and every self-help book out there, remember, every child has their own pace. Some pick things up quickly but struggle with comprehension. Some take their time learning the basics but, once they do they hit the ground running and exceed every expectation. If your child is struggling, try to recognize what in the current environment, or curriculum might not be working for them. We hold consultations for parents who are looking for a more personalised and hands-on solution to their child’s reading problems. For more information, you can always get in touch with us for a free 30-minute consultation.

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